Buying an outdoor sauna: wood-fired or electric?

Wood-fired sauna: soothing and full of atmosphere

A wood-fired outdoor sauna is a sauna for outside in your garden that you heat up with a wood-burning stove. Heating with wood offers a slightly different experience than an electric heater: you hear the fire crackling, watch the flames dance, and every now and then orange sparks fly up.

Pros and cons of a sauna with a wood-burning stove

+ Authentic atmosphere: this is where an electric sauna falls a bit short

+ Natural heat

+ No heavy-duty power connection needed

– No easy temperature control

– Slightly more maintenance: think of emptying ashes, cleaning the stove and (occasionally) the chimney

Heating time of a wood-fired sauna

The heating time is usually between 45 and 90 minutes. For a small, well-insulated sauna, 45 to 60 minutes is often achievable. If you have a larger cabin or it's cold outside, heating up can take 60 to 90 minutes.

Electric sauna: easy to use

A sauna with electric heating is a user-friendly option for a sauna for outside in your garden: you heat the sauna at the touch of a button. For even more convenience, there are models such as the Harvia SP90XW or Harvia PC90XE; these heaters can be controlled via the ”MyHarvia” app, so you can plan your next sauna session whenever you like.

Pros and cons of an electric outdoor sauna

+ Easy to operate

+ Easy temperature control

+ Less maintenance

– Energy costs

– Requires a heavy-duty power connection

Heating time of an electric sauna

On average, the heating time is between 30 and 60 minutes. For a small, well-insulated sauna with a suitable heater output, 30-45 minutes is often achievable. If you have a larger cabin or it's cold outside, you're more likely to be looking at 45-60 minutes.

Read here about the maintenance of your outdoor sauna or check out our range of saunas and hot tubs.